Anna's Return
by Kiss of Life
Summary: Anna's back...and she's not the same. How is she related to the vampires that are back, too? And who is the new leader of the vampires, and why does she seem so familiar? Please R&R.
1. Prologue

Prologue-

She had been the strongest of all her father's children. She had killed that pathetic monster after she had lived through her family's death. Was it these things that let her live? And why, as she was grown now, did she look like that pathetic mortal wretch? So many questions… Yet no answers…Until she saw Gabriel Van Helsing. The first thing that came to her mind was one word. "Revenge."

…

Anna was on his mind day and night. That was what had driven him to go back to Transylvania. As he tossed and turned in bed that night, Van Helsing remembered how she had saved him with love, bravery, cleverness, and skill. What had he done for her in return? Killed her.

Back at the Holy Order's Vatican, they told him that it hadn't been his fault, but he wasn't so sure. It had been his hands that had done the killing, no matter what form he had been in. It was himself whom he had to live with afterward.

The Count had been killed by then, though. Van Helsing had also found some of his own past. He would rather have Anna than all of those things, he knew. So now he was here in search of a way to rest in peace, as Anna's soul had.


	2. Anna's Return

Chapter 1-

The sea splashed against the rocks below the cliff, sending froth upon them. The sky had already been darkened many hours ago and the stars twinkled coldly. Van Helsing had finally given up trying to sleep and was now looking over the sea, where Anna's ashes had been scattered. He remembered Frankenstein's monster, wondering what happened to him. His thoughts soon turned back to Anna. He missed her with a longing that made him feel sick. "I love you." He whispered the words that he had never spoken before into the world, the words tasting alien on his tongue. Insane hope flooded him.

The moonlight glowed eerily. Then a hand emerged from somewhere below and gripped onto the edge of the cliff. Graceful fingers held on tight as they pulled their owner up. It was obvious, Van Helsing saw, that she was female when she emerged. She wore a wine-red cloak and nothing else. She swung dark, wavy locks from those eyes that seemed to be set on fire and stared up at Van Helsing. Her fingers reached out, beckoning towards him.

"Anna." The words weren't a question, but recognition. The woman nodded once, tried to stand, but stumbled. Van Helsing wanted to go to her. Make sure that she was real by holding her and never letting go. He wanted to ask a million questions, but his feet stayed where they were. So he said, "I thought you were dead."

"I was. You brought me back," she whispered.

The two of them had communicated by things unspoken before. He knew that she meant the words that he had spoken had brought her back. That he loved her.

She wrapped her cloak around herself, but not before he saw her shivering violently. This time, he couldn't help himself. He rushed to her. "Are you alright?" "Just a little weak," she answered. "Please take…take me home…"

Van Helsing narrowed his eyes a little, still having trouble believing that this was his Anna. His brow un-furrowed. "Come, then. Carl and I are staying with a woman he met on our first visit here." He readied his mare and helped Anna climb on it. She was still trembling. It was good that the journey was quick. Soon the two were in the woman's cottage, careful not to wake anyone up. Anna, with a bit of argument, had taken Van Helsing's bed, using her cloak as a blanket. Van Helsing lay on the floor with his sheets.

Anna had her back to him and seemed to be fast asleep. Two fresh scars were blooming on her shoulder blades. The monster hunter knew in his mind that the scars were from his murder of her. He reached out and traced his fingers on them. Anna flinched and he quickly withdrew his hand.

She was here, was back. It seemed do unreal. He wanted to lie there and stare at her forever. He must have fallen asleep, though, because the next thing he knew, Anna was standing over him.

"Are you up already? It's hardly dawn yet," Van Helsing told her, staring out the dirty window of his room in the cottage. No light shown through it. Anna's features seemed to harden at his words, though he couldn't be so sure in the darkness. Then she turned, lay back down on the bed, and covered herself with her cloak again. "You are right."

Van Helsing blinked. Anna no longer acted like the stubborn, fierce, gypsy princess she had once been. She must be weak, he thought, and cold in just that cloak. But… how do I know that she's real? So quietly, he got up, sure to be back before dawn.

The stables were hushed and I was lightly snowing as he climbed on one of the horses. He smiled vaguely when he remembered what Anna had once told him about Transylvanian horses being the fastest. It was true. Van Helsing was at the cliff in no time. He jumped off his horse and let it graze nearby. As for him, he approached the pile of rubble that used to be Anna. He searched through it. No charred bones or any sign of a human ever being burned here except for some rags. So that woman was indeed the true Anna. How could he have doubted it before?

When Van Helsing turned to leave, a glint of silver caught his eye. He threw aside some of the rags that used to be Anna's clothes. A silver cross came into view that used to hang around her neck. Gently brushing off some of the ashes, Van Helsing pocketed it. He walked back to his horse just as a ray of sunlight peeked over the horizon. He climbed on the mare and urged it back to the village. On the way, he picked up some clothes and went home to Anna to give her her gifts.


	3. Abduction

**Okay, people! I finally own a character in my fan-fic! Vivienne, even though she was in the movie, I gave her a name and a personality. OK, thank you peeps who reviewed (Elwyndra and anett). Now that winter break is coming up, I can write more! (I only write on weekends at the moment…sorry…)**

Chapter 2-

Three people were gathered by the hearth in Vivienne's home. Carl, Van Helsing, and the woman who said that she was Anna Valerious back from the dead. Vivienne didn't really know what to believe anymore, after hearing 'Anna' and Van Helsing tell Carl the story. Well, at least she was dressed now. Carl had found 'Anna' lying in Van Helsing's bed with only a cloak. Van Helsing was gone and his sheets were strewn on the floor. When the monster hunter had finally come back, the three had ignored Vivienne and talked all the way until now. Meanwhile, Vivienne was making breakfast and slowly losing her temper. Who did they think they were, making her slave in her own home as if this was an inn? But she said nothing, just listened.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Van Helsing said, pulling out a silver cross. It was the one Anna used to where around her neck. He gave it to her. "I found it where we…uh…buried you." She murmured her thanks and stowed it in the pocket of her new pants. No one else except for Vivienne noticed that she only held it by the chain and acted as if it were on fire.

Suddenly, there was a banging on the door of the cottage. Vivienne rushed to get it as she wiped her hands on her apron. It was a man from town. He was panting hard. "Vampires coming! Stay inside!" Then he ran to the next door to give the same message.

Now Vivienne had all of her guests' attentions. She slammed the door and could not keep the anger and accusatory out of her voice. "How are the vampires back? Why now?" She was glaring contemptuously at Anna.

"Vivienne, wh-what's wrong?" Carl asked. "Surely vampires coming back is nothing to be angry at us for…"

She pointed at Anna. "The vampires are coming back for her! If _she_ can rise back from the dead, then the vampires certainly can! How do you know that she is Anna Valerious, anyway? The last time I saw that cloak of her's was on Count Vla-" Anna's hand lashed out and Vivienne immediately shut up. It was lucky for her that Van Helsing had grabbed Anna's hand before it hit Vivienne.

"I know that this is Anna. Who else would it be? Count Vladislous? Besides, arguing won't help against the vampires," Van Helsing said evenly.

Vivienne harrumphed and went to shut the windows to keep the vampires from coming in. Just then, two things happened at once. Anna went rigid and she called out something that nobody could make sense of in a hissing voice. The second thing was that two female vampires crashed through the window. One held the whimpering Vivienne and took off. The other changed into her human form. She looked much like Aleera, one of the wives of Count Vladislous.

"So, you two are the foes of my father who killed him," she said, indicating Van Helsing and Carl. She stepped forward, her pink dress fluttering slightly. Her sharp teeth were bared in a smirk.

Nervously, Carl pulled out a cross and threw it at her. She easily dodged it. "Do you think you can get rid of me so quickly? I haven't had my fun yet…" She dodged the silver bullets that Van Helsing was shooting at her and went up to him. Her iron grip held his writs as she toyed with him. "So, I see why Anna Valerious bothered with you." Her face was an inch away from his neck. Carl tried again, hurling another cross. The vampire avoided it and it cut Van Helsing's cheek. She laughed.

Just then, Carl seemed to get an idea. He pulled out a bottle of holy water and threw it at her feet. The glass shattered and the water flying everywhere- this the vampire couldn't avoid. She shrieked as her legs turned into ash along with the rest of her body.

Van Helsing thanked Carl. He touched the wound on his cheek, then seemed to remember something. Anna. He looked around wildly. She was gone.


	4. Half Gargoyle

**I really should make the chapters longer…oh well. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3-

Their horses neighed impatiently outside of Castle Frankenstein, where Van Helsing and Carl suspected that the vampires took Anna and Vivienne. The monster hunter and his companion had searched the whole castle and had not found a trace of vampires. As they were about to leave, they heard a melodious voice call out to them.

"Wait." The voice belonged to a young woman with grey wings, amber eyes, and long, straight black hair. She wore a white tunic and a sword was at her hip.

"Who are you?" Van Helsing demanded, looking slightly taken aback at her wings.

She smiled, not seeming afraid, but said, "That is what I should be asking you. But my name is Camille. I assume you are looking for the vampires?"

"Yes. They took our friends. Have you seen them?"

"No, but they killed my kind and left alive only my lover and me. But they left me behind because I am of no use to them. You see, my kin are gargoyles, brought alive by Dr. Frankenstein. I am merely half gargoyle. The vampires need a full-blooded gargoyle in order to have the secret of life. After all, one of the vampires killed Frankenstein's Monster," Camille told them, harshly, though her voice was still musical.

"R-really?" Carl stuttered. "But what do they want with our friends, then?"

"Are your friends important to them in any way?" Camille asked.

"Anna is…I don't see how Vivienne can be of any use to them," Van Helsing told her. "Do you know where the vampires are?"

"Yes. But it's where a damned creature like me can never enter. The Vatican in Rome."

Carl and Van Helsing glanced at each other, quickly and moved to rush outside. Camille stopped them. "I wish to come, also," she said softly. "I wish to see what has become of my lover. And even though I cannot enter the Vatican to help, I can be of use in many other ways. Please let me come."

"Then come. But we aren't responsible if any harm comes to you, Lady Camille," Van Helsing said.

The half-gargoyle woman drew her sword and grinned. She tested her thumb on the blade. "Oh no, sir, that won't be necessary. But one thing, I must know your names. Monk?"

"I'm a friar," Carl said indignantly, "And my name is Carl."

"Van Helsing," the monster hunter simply said.

Camille sheathed her sword and rose into the air, flapping her wings gracefully. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."


	5. Night in Rome

Chapter 4-

Camille, Van Helsing, and Carl were in an inn in Rome. They had just arrived. It was past midnight and they were all tired out. Carl was snoring lightly on one of the two beds. Van Helsing stared out the window, then turned to face Camille.

"You may have the other bed if you're tired."

"Tired? Gargoyles never sleep," she told him, fluttering the wings she hid beneath her cloak. She stifled a yawn.

"You're only half gargoyle," he reminded her teasingly. They had become accustomed to one another on their journey to Rome.

"True. But then where will you sleep? With Carl?" she said to him in the same teasing tone. "Ahhh… So romantic a couple you two make."

Van Helsing ignored this. "I'm used to sleeping on the floor."

"Well, so am I!"

"You're so much like Anna that it's not even funny," Van Helsing snapped.

Camille blinked. "Anna? The one we are going to rescue… Is she _your_ lover?"

Silence.

"Yes, I suppose," he said. "We were going to be but she died. I-I killed her by accident when I was a werewolf. Then- well I don't exactly know what happened, either, but she came back to life. I think it was because of our love…" Van Helsing blushed. "Anyway, the vampires came back and took her away. Along with Carl's friend, Vivienne. I don't know how they came back to life, though…"

"I do," Camille said in her usual soft voice. "The vampire who killed Frankenstein brought her siblings back to life. I remember her. She didn't look like Aleera, Marishka, or Verona. She was the most beautiful one, too. I believe she leads the vampires now."

Van Helsing looked at Camille and sank onto the empty bed. "Is there anything else you haven't told me that I should know?"

Camille sat down beside him and looked at him for a minute. They both looked away. "I- nothing, nothing at all."

"You're starting to sound like Carl," Van Helsing told her, teasing again.

"Maybe, but you can't boss me around, Gabriel Van Helsing," Camille said, suddenly standing up. "I'm going around Rome for a midnight flight. I haven't stretched my wings in days.

The monster hunter tossed her her sword. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Be careful," was all that he said.

…

Vivienne sat in a room with a glass stained window. She had no clue where she was, but it seemed like a giant church. She had seen the vampires kill all the monks and many others. That traitor who had called herself Anna led the vampires. For she was a vampire herself. One who looked almost exactly like the real Anna Valerious. Vivienne had given up wondering how this could be and now wondered how many more days she would stay alive.

The vampires were working on making more of their own kind. Some of them had just gone hunting. For anything with blood.

…

Camille flew across the Italian skies. She had been thinking about all she had been through until she saw three black streaks fly across the sky. Too big to be birds.

Vampires. They were flying toward her fast. They had smelled the human blood running through her veins.


	6. Actually I'm a Friar

**I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated in a long time, people! Gack, school gives way too much homework… well, mine does, anyway. Okay, don't blame me if this chappie is crappy because I'm just making this part up as I go…**

…

Chapter 5-

Camille glanced behind her every two nanoseconds as she flew across the night sky. The vampires were approaching fast, almost closing in on her, their inhuman eyes glowing from human heads with bat bodies. One of them, their leader it seemed, bared her fangs at Camille.

Now the half gargoyle woman was glad that Van Helsing had made her take her sword. She drew it from her sheath so slyly that her vampire stalkers hardly noticed the movement. They were too preoccupied with wanting to fill the hunger in their eyes. Now one was flying without caution toward Camille.

His leader grabbed his left wing, hissing, "Fool!" in a beautiful voice that seemed odd with her dripping fangs and evil eyes.

Throwing caution to the winds, Camille slashed at the leader. The vampiress laughed as her wounds healed themselves over the sword. She pulled it out of her stomach and tossed it into the night. Camille dove after it and the vampires followed, almost lazily.

A lot of things happened all at once. Camille caught her sword. The vampiress leader grabbed the heel of Camille's boot and held on with inhuman strength. Van Helsing jumped from a nearby building, grabbed Camille, and shot at the vampiress until he realized who she was. His eyes widened as she gave a little smirk.

His gargoyle companion paid no heed to this. She grabbed him and flapped her powerful wings. They were pulled down by his weight, but Camille managed to take flight.

The vampires made no attempt to follow now. Their leader had done what she had wanted to do for a while. Now Van Helsing knew who he was dealing with- or who he thought he was dealing with. The vampiress threw her head back and laughed.

Camille and Van Helsing landed back in their room at the inn. She dropped him harshly on the floor as soon as she entered through the window. To her half dismay, he landed on his feet.

"I swear, you dropped me on purpose," he said as he stood from the crouch he had landed in.

"I did. I don't appreciate being followed when I can take perfectly good care of myself," Camille told him, angrily, sheathing her sword.

He scoffed. "Right. I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't come in there to save you."

"I need no saving!" the half-gargoyle woman's eyes flashed.

"That's what Anna said… And look what happened to her. She's one of them now," Van Helsing retorted, without much heat. In fact, his eyes were glazed when he said this and he sat down on the empty bed.

"Stop talking in riddles," Camille snapped. She lowered her voice when Carl started mumbling sleepily in the other bed. "Listen, it's late. We'll discuss this in the morning with Carl."

No reply.

Camille gazed at Van Helsing, who looked like he was half-asleep already. She would let him have the bed tonight. Without thinking, she reached out and gently plucked the hat off his head. "If you're going to sleep, might as well be comfortable," she whispered.

"Anna," he said.

She bit her cheeks to keep from laughing. If only he knew how stupid he sounded. But then, for no reason she could think of, she cried. She missed her own lover the same way, but she knew she wasn't crying because of this.

Van Helsing gazed at her for what seemed like the first time. "Camille?"

She hurriedly blinked her tears away. "Yes?"

"Don't cry, it doesn't fit with you."

"I wasn't. It must've been a trick of the light."

"Sure," he replied.

He touched her arm and made her sit down beside him on the bed. "I knew you shouldn't have come." She started crying again, silently, and he stroked her hair. "It's alright." The gruff words, he held back. They fell asleep like this.

…

"Van Helsing?" came Carl's distant voice.

The monster hunter blinked sleep from his eyes. Camille lay beside him, hair spread about her. Her thigh-high boots were still on, her pants and shirt rumpled. The sun shone on her face, making the strange copper of her skin shine like gold.

Van Helsing sat up quickly, saying to Carl, "It's not like whatever you're thinking."

The friar gave him an odd look. "What I was thinking was 'it's not what I was thinking'."

Camille rolled out of bed. "Well," she said, standing with a groan, "It's _not_ what you _weren't_ thinking, then. Nothing happened last night. We-"

"-Were so tired that we fell asleep in the same bed," Van Helsing finished for her.

Carl's eyes darted from one person to the other.

Camille hastily changed the subject. "Last night, we were chased by some vampires. I drove my silver sword into one, but she pulled it back out."

"And you said nothing happened!" Carl exclaimed, "That's big news and trouble. I don't think we should take our chances with a werewolf to defeat the vampires after what happened last time." He glanced at Van Helsing.

The monster hunter nodded. "There must be some way. Let's make a trip to the Church. I haven't been there for a while. Maybe the Order can give us some ideas."

"Good plan," Carl agreed. "Maybe they have made some new inventions while I was gone. Doubt it, though. Damn fools some of them!" This part he said cheerily.

Camille looked at both of them stoically. "How am I supposed to get into the Church? They'll kill me on the spot after they see my wings."

"You can stand guard for vampires, but be careful," Van Helsing added after Camille agreed to the first part.

"Oh, one more thing, Carl," she said. He looked up. She said, "You shouldn't swear, you're a monk."

He rolled his eyes. "Actually, I'm a friar."

…

**I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! It's my favorite line from the movie! Next thing, I don't like love stories, but they're fun to write! Sorry. Let's take a vote, who wants Camille&Gabriel (not like I care about the results, cuz I already know what I'm doing, but heck, let's see the votes!) Oh, and please review! I love reviews! **


	7. Realization

**Chapter 6-**

No one was in the Church as Van Helsing and Carl entered. It was so still, dark, and silent. Almost all the beautiful stain glass windows were in pieces on the floor. When they were sure that no one was around, they gestured Camille in. She looked as shocked as they did.

"I don't know what happened…" Van Helsing murmured. It was so strange to see the Church like this, as it had been his home since the Cardinal had found him 'crawling up the steps of this church half dead.'

The three walked around, searching for any clues to what happened. Carl produced a lantern from the usual sack of weaponry, lit it, and held it up. Dim light lit the chapel, but all they could see was destruction.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching. Carl blew out the lantern quickly and Camille had her sword out in an instant. Van Helsing shoved the three of them against a crevice in the wall that blocked them out of the vampires' view. Three walked by, two of them gossiping in hushed voices. All three were women. The first one was the only silent one—and the most beautiful, for that matter. Camille recognized her as the leader and she heard both Van Helsing and Carl intake sharp breaths when they saw her. Except she saw something she hadn't before peeking through the leader's low cut dress. It was something glassy and green, throbbing and glowing oddly. Carl knew what it was immediately. Frankenstein's heart.

"An--!" Camille and Carl both clamped hands over Van Helsing's mouth before he could finish uttering the name. It was enough for the vampiresses to hear, though. They all looked in the trio's direction at once.

"I thought I heard a voice," the leader said in a husky, low, Transylvanian accent that Van Helsing used to find irresistible. She approached the crevice where they were hidden slowly, her stiletto boots clicking until she was right in front of them. One by one, she pulled them each out of the hiding place. Van Helsing put up the least struggle.

"Ahh, what have we here? A gargoyle whore, a timid little friar, and oh… _Gabriel_…" she smiled up at him, red lips concealing her teeth.

"Anna," he stepped toward her, but only to be met by a slap. He reeled back, though more stung inwardly from the meaning of the motion than outwardly by her surprising strength.

She smiled seductively at him and his heart seemed to forgive her almost instantaneously. What was wrong with this? he mused, but his mind seemed to be made of mush. He couldn't think straight. The vampiress looked at the frozen faces of horror around her and laughed. She took one of Van Helsing's hands and put it to her glass heart.

"Do you feel this, Gabriel?"

"You… You stole Frankenstein's heart… why--?" Then it dawned on him. This wasn't his Anna. "You—who are you?"

"It took you long enough to notice." She waved a hand of dismissal at her companions and the two vampiresses left the chapel. Camille's sword hung limply at her side. She seemed to be in a daze, trying to figure out what she was missing.

"I am Anna in a way, Gabriel. Shall we say, half Anna, half Dracula…? And that seems to be the reason why I lived long enough to give myself this glass heart. Because my mother was human," she said, grinning, baring the fangs of her vampire father.

"No!" Anna couldn't have… Not with Dracula... This couldn't be their child.

"Do you remember the ball at All Hallows Eve? That's when it happened." Her eyes glittered with malice as she spilled this information.

"You lie!"

Unsheathing a stake, he attacked the vampiress. She easily dodged it. Her eyes taunted, same message as the next words that came from her mouth: "Come and get me, Gabriel." She laughed.

No one saw Camille coming out of her daze. She flew into the air and swung, sword at the ready toward the vampiress. They fought, steadily in the air, claws and teeth against the sword. Van Helsing was firing arrows into the vamp's stomach, which kept healing itself. Camille swung at the glowing heart and chipped a piece of the glass off. Shrieking with fury, the vampiress attacked the half gargoyle blindly. Within a minute, Camille was on the ground, wings bleeding as well as her back.

Carl rushed to her and Van Helsing glanced worriedly behind him, though his attention became diverted to the vampiress when she landed in front of him.

"What do you think, Gabriel? I'll let your companions go if you surrender yourself to me. After all, you're the only one who's any threat to my kind anymore. Stay and I'll let your companions go…"

He paused, eyebrows furrowing. The words 'no, I'll fight you to the end' were clawing their way up his throat. But he was putting so many lives in danger if he challenged her. "What about Vivienne and Camille's lover? They… they are who we came for…" he finally said.

The vampiress shrugged. "Now that I have used them to bait you here, they are no use to me anymore. Of course, I did really want to kill the last of gargoyle blood—" She eyed Camille, "But since I have you, it really doesn't matter. Will you stay?"

Van Helsing knew his answer already. He looked to the ground in defeat before replying.

…

**o0… cliffhanger! I know, I have absolutely no right to do that after not updating in so long, but this story's nearly coming to an end. Please review! I love reviews **


End file.
